Town Square
Town Square is an encounter in Dragons Clash. It comes after Streets of Bluselle 5 or Streets of Bluselle 6. Enemies *Talmec's War Mage (910 Gold, 104 Xp, 65 Energy, 5 HP Normal, 6 HP Hard, 7 HP Nightmare) *Talmec's Honor Guard (910 Gold, 104 Xp, 65 Energy, 8 HP Normal, 9 HP Hard, 10 HP Nightmare) *Talmec's Throat-Slitter (980 Gold, 112 Xp, 70 Energy, 11 HP Normal, 12 HP Hard, 13 HP Nightmare) *Talmec's Favorite Wolf (980 Gold, 112 Xp, 70 Energy, 14 HP Normal, 15 HP Hard, 16 HP Nightmare) *Warlord Talmec (3960 Gold, 288 Xp, 180 Energy, 1 HP All) *Locked until all others are defeated.* Transcript Introduction Dozens of men and women stand in tows on one side of the square, surrounded by soldiers and orcs. Some of them have fury written on their faces, others fear. Many simply wear looks of grim acceptance. These must be the conscripts, ready to be marched off to wherever the king's edicts will send them. Or would send them, where you not here to thwart his decrees... A hulking orc stands in the middle of the open space, a mighty figure dressed in thick plate armor daubed with streaks of tribal war paint. He's glaring at a tall, middle-aged woman with a noble's bearing, garbed in an exquisite blue dress which wouldn't be out of place at court. She stands before him with an expression of cold anger and disdain. If she feels any fear of the brute who could likely tear her limb from limb with his bare hands, she gives no sign. "You animals are destroying my town!" she says. She doesn't shout, yet somehow her well-bred, aristocratic tones carry across the entire square. "Is it my fault?" the orc replies. "You're mayor -- it's your fault. Tell people to obey. Obey rules, no more destruction." "We had an arrangement with Crenus! If he wants his precious iron, we need enough people to work the mines and keep our miners fed!" "Ha! If iron came, king would be happy. King is not happy, because you don't deliver what was promised. So he sends us. Be glad we don't burn town as well." "Beast! When he kills you, I'll spit upon your corpse!" "Huh?" The orc turns, following her gaze, and sees you. Taking that as your cur, you march into the square -- your companions following at your side. "Soldiers, orcs not stop you?" the orc asks. "They tried," you reply. "Perhaps the people of Bluselle will give you some sacks to take them home in." The orc displays no rage at the deaths of his comrades, or any trepidation at standing face to face with the man who brought about their annihilation. He eyes you with curiosity, his gaze roaming your weapons, your clothing -- taking your measure. "You're not miner, or weak peasant. Who are you?" "My name is *Insert Your Name* Kasan." The orc's stare intensifies. "Kasan?" "You may have heard of my ancestor." You take a quick glance at the rows of conscripts. They're staring at you with bright, gleaming eyes -- their fury and misery forgotten for the moment. It seems that fate has delivered another opportunity into your lap. "Yes..." The orc draws a saw-tooth-edged sword in one hand, and a huge steel bludgeon in the other. "You fight like Dragon-Rider?" "Only one way to find out." The orc nods, and his eyes gleam. "Kill you here, be made general when I go to fight in north." The north... That's what you heard before. You have to find out what he means... But the time for speech is over. The armored orc bellows, and his minions attack. Conclusion Brawl boss unlocked! "What's happening in the north?" you ask. The orc grunts, and takes another clumsy swing. You sidestep it and lash out with your sword -- adding another wound to his ever increasing tally. Blood seeps from each chink you've found in his armor, sapping the strength of his limbs. His face is a latticework of cuts. But he still fights. Both hands are on his sword, the heavy bludgeon long since dropped from his grasp. With the combined might remaining in his arms, he launches into a diagonal cleave -- bringing the saw-toothed edge down at the left side of your neck. You raise your shield, and almost buckle as the impact causes your ribs to cry out in agony. They were cracked by a glancing blow from the orc's club, and choose now to redouble their anxious cries -- as though you might have forgotten their plight in the heat of battle. "War coming. Big war," the orc says. He gasps, as you do, both of you relishing a chance to catch your breath as the battle rages around you. You see Tessa in the corner of your vision, but a moment later she's gone -- swept along in the tide of combat, concealed by flashing steel and straining bodies. It's in that moment of distraction that the orc rushes forward -- with a quickness that catches you by surprise. Mustering whatever strength is left in his muscles, whatever wind remains in his lungs, he charges. And you know that one of you will live and one will die when his exchange is finished. Your ribs scream once more, slowing you down and thwarting your dodge. The orc's sword is swinging... You dart forward, inside his swing -- your raised shield blocked his arm instead of his weapon. There's a clang as the sword falls from his numbed hand. Then you fall backwards, as his armored bulk smashes into you. The two of you topple to the ground together, and you raise your boot -- planting it against his torso to throw him over with his own momentum, as your wrestling teachers showed you. But his weight is too much, your battered body too weak. He collapses on top of you, and only your raised legs prevent you from being smashed beneath him. There's a cracking noise... Perhaps more than one. A burst of pain informs you that more of your ribs have been damaged. But there's something else. You hazard a glance to your right, and see that the orc's left hand bore the brunt of his landing. The orc grunts, shrugging off that latest of his many injuries, and his right hand grasps at you. It closes around your throat, and cruel green fingers dig into your neck. You twist and turn, trying to loosen his grasp. But you're already gasping for air, your brain beginning to swim as the flow of blood is restricted. Your sword finds its way past his left arm with its broken hand, and you thrust -- aiming for the vulnerable spot just above the collar of his cuirass. But you find no power for the stroke. The edge of the blade cuts into his throat, but it's a superficial wound -- the droplets of blood a mocking reward as they drip onto your face. The orc keeps squeezing, heedless of the sword braced against his flesh, and lights dance before your eyes. Can't die here... You gather what's left of your might, all that remains in a body hardened by the arduous training of a Kasan, and shuffle beneath his weight -- trying to drag your legs out from under his chest. Somehow you manage to pull them free, and you grab at him with them as though they were the two halves of a scorpion's pincer, or else the tentacles of a raging sea-beast. Your calves clamp around the back of his neck, straining against the powerful muscles bunched there. The blade of your sword comes to rest on your left thigh, and you seize it with your free hand -- clasping it with gloved fingers. The orc growls as his realizes your intention, his blurred face morphing like that of a fiend from hell in your whirling vision. But still he maintains his grasp around your neck, either too grained to do anything else, or determined to throttle you before you can complete your attack. "Traitor." The word sings out in your mind, and you see the black dragon's face from your dream. But it's not black now. It's gold. A gold wyrm, looking deep into your eyes, your soul. "Traitor," it repeats. Your legs pull downwards against the back of the orc's neck, as you thrust the sword blade upwards with both hands. "Traitor." Your limbs strain. Steel sinks into green flesh. "Traitor." There's a spluttering noise. Is it from the orc, or the dragon? You don't know... "Traitor." Something warm and wet splashes on your face. The gold dragon shifts, wobbling like the ocean. And it's not gold anymore. It's blue. A hot wave washes over you, submerging you, perhaps drowning you. The dragon's mouth opens, and forms a word. "Kasan." Category:Dragons Clash